While there are virtually no curbs on the construction industry in major cities, there are also nil restrictions on the exploding vehicle population. As per the Economic Survey 2021-22, Goa with a population of 16 lacs has 15.27 lacs registered vehicles; on an average 57,000 new vehicles are brought on the roads every year.
Government authorities may have enforced new BS-6 emission norms for vehicles but there is no cap on the number of cars / 2 wheelers that can be registered, this could prove very disastrous in a small state like Goa where parts of the state are already reeling under dust haze and smog brought about by construction activity and tail pipe emissions.
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China, Singapore and London have restrictions on the use of cars both as regards to plying and ownership. The city of London imposes a hefty ‘congestion tax’ in crowded business districts to disincentivise private vehicle use and nudge people towards public transport.
New York and San Francisco ban cars from main roads on certain days which has boosted bus / metro ridership and reduced commute times for all vehicles. Other European cities too are moving fast to becoming car free cities by introducing deterrence measures.
In Singapore there is a stringent lottery system for getting a permit to purchase a new vehicle, also one needs to show proof of parking space available before approval is granted. For every car purchased in Singapore apart from the on road price, one needs to buy a Certificate of Entitlement from the government the cost of which ranges between Rupees 64 lakhs- 89 lakhs, also the vehicle registration charges are kept deliberately stratospheric to further dissuade ownership.
Indian metros first need to have more AC buses with better frequency, a strong metro network connecting every nook and cranny in the city and trains with more number of coaches before citizens can be deterred from buying vehicles either through legislation or government diktat.
We can learn and implement best practices from all over the world, but first we need to upgrade public infrastructure else the diseases triggered by the Frankenstein of vehicular pollution will devour us all bit by bit.
